Locarno pacts with Europa Distribution

Group's members given priority at festival

ROME — The Locarno Film Festival has pacted with Europa Distribution, the wide network of indie Euro distribs that acts both as a driver for the European film biz and as a distribution platform for global auteur cinema in the continent.

The Swiss lakeside fest dedicated to discovering new talent will work closely with the network. Created last year, Europa Distribution comprises 67 European indie distribs and is dedicated to maximizing marketing strategies on titles that member companies increasingly acquire jointly.

Locarno Industry Office topper Nadia Dresti told Daily Variety that inviting buyers from members of the Europa Distribution network to Locarno will now become a priority, “though many of these companies already come to the fest.”

“We want to strengthen the ties they are forming among themselves and create a strong link with us so that Locarno can provide more distribution opportunities for indie cinema,” she added.